The Wild Bunch’s display of violence and gambles taken in a dying outlaw world influenced a lot of the same themes in Martin Scorsese’s Casino. In this introduction for the director’s urban western I look at the similarities between the two, as one exchanges banks and saloons for casinos and restaurants, and just what drew Scorsese to the Las Vegas underworld over making eventual Spike Lee project Clockers.
The audio in this video was recorded specially based on notes made for an introduction I gave for a screening of the film at The Little Theatre in Bath as part of Picturehouse’s Scorsese season in August 2026.
If you don’t have a physical copy of the film, you can find where you can stream the film here.
Just A Little Bit Random 